


re:animator

by nabongwater



Series: The Painter’s Inspiration [3]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Gen, Grave digging, Illegal activity, Side Chaeyu - Freeform, Third Person POV, chaeyoung and her gay unethical science experiments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27154744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nabongwater/pseuds/nabongwater
Summary: Chaeyoung has spent four long years researching, stealing and desecrating graves to develop a permanent cure for death, but she’s about to learn the hard way that her hard work is far from over...
Series: The Painter’s Inspiration [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984481
Comments: 15
Kudos: 60





	re:animator

**Author's Note:**

> BIG thanks to [@kimbyult](https://twitter.com/kimbyult) for acting as my second brain and for asking questions that helped me flesh out the characters! This story would LITERALLY not make sense without you :D
> 
> ALSO this is based on Lovecraft's "Herbert West-Reanimator" short story. haha suck it racist loser i made your franchise gay

Chaeyoung wipes the sweat off her forehead and nimbly climbs out of the grave, dissatisfaction with tonight’s results marking her forehead with a thin crease. She studies the bodies around her, dug up and in more or less the same condition she found them in, save for the needle punctures at the base of their skulls. 

All of them are failed attempts. 

Only a few came back to life, but it was never more than a twitch of a finger, an eye frantically searching around before returning to the dead state it was in. That makes tonight the fifth night in a row where her experiments are essentially fruitless. Chaeyoung decides to leave the bodies above ground and expose them to the harsh October weather just to get some petty revenge on them. No one has ever cared to look after this cemetery, these graves, these bodies anyway. 

She pulls a cork out of her pocket and presses it onto the vial in her other hand, sealing the phosphorescent reagent she’s bled and cried over for over four years.

She checks the glowing watch on her wrist, the hand telling her she should start packing up soon; her roommate worries about her if she’s out for too long, and the last thing she needs is for Jihyo to come looking for her and find her amongst desecrated corpses.

As she turns to leave, she accidentally kicks something round, and upon closer inspection, sees it’s a decapitated head—seemingly of a girl who was once Chaeyoung’s age. Judging from the brownish complexion, she reckons it’s been dead for around five months. She picks it up, weighs it, and thinks.

_ I don’t remember digging this up.  _

The phone in her pocket begins to buzz silently, however, signaling that it’s time to go. Jihyo is calling, most likely worried out of her mind. Chaeyoung weighs the head again and shrugs, then stuffs it into her backpack. She knows not where this head came from, but she’s got a few ideas about what to do with it.

* * *

It’s no big deal, really.

At least, not to Chaeyoung. For as long as she can remember, biology and the concept of life have been her comfort when no person was there for her. She spent her time watching documentaries and reading books about life, studying theories and research papers about death. She didn’t feel as abandoned when she was busy studying biology and learning about what keeps humans alive. 

All that painstaking research led to Chaeyoung reaching a breakthrough: she created her reanimation reagent, a powerful glowing liquid that could change the course of the world forever.

Those sleepless nights were worth it. Without them, would she be walking home right now, a severed head in her backpack, hands and knees covered in dirt, with a possible cure for death in her pockets?

No. She would not. 

* * *

Chaeyoung dons her stark-white lab coat and checks herself in the mirror.

“You look like a mad scientist,” her roommate, Jihyo, says playfully.

“That’s the idea,” Chaeyoung mutters, but Jihyo hears the response and laughs.

“Say, lately you’ve been coming back to the dorm pretty late, covered in dirt and smelling like death. You’re not going Dr. Frankenstein on me, are ya?”

Jihyo is merely joking, but Chaeyoung can’t help but let out an agitated chuckle. She plays with her dark hair before replying “Oh. Of course, Jihyo. That’s  _ totally  _ what I’m doing. I spend my time digging up dead bodies and try to bring them back to life. You caught me. That’s exactly why I chose this lab coat for my Halloween costume. Hide in plain sight, am I right?”

Jihyo laughs and takes her shirt off, slipping on her wizard costume. “Very funny. I just want to know what you’ve been doing. You’re a very secretive person, Chaeng, and I never have any idea what you’re doing, ever. We’re roommates, dammit! Open up!”

Chaeyoung plops down on her bed. “Sorry! I warned you about that on the first day and you said that was perfect! It’s been two years, no backsies now.”

Jihyo takes her shorts off and tosses them on her bed. “Fine. Then how about today you finally give in and hang out with me? Let’s celebrate Halloween together!”

Chaeyoung sinks deep into her bed. “No thanks. No college parties for me. I already have plans, anyway.” Plans _ ,  _ meaning, sticking various amounts of reanimation fluids into a head to see if she gets any good reactions _.  _ You know, a typical Saturday. 

Jihyo whines and juts out her lower lip. “Two years and we’ve only hung out ten times. Please? Sana and Momo want to see you sooo bad—“

“—They don’t know who I am—“

“—because I talk about my sweet baby roommate a lot.”

“Sorry, Hyo. Busy night.” She blushes at the thought of Jihyo gushing about her to her friends, though.

Jihyo mutters something under her breath and changes tactics. In a sing-song voice, she says “I heard Tzuyu’ll be there.” 

Chaeyoung pretends this doesn’t pique her interest. “I mean, you’re always where Tzuyu is, so that’s no surprise.” Jihyo and her crush have mutual friends and know each other fairly well.

“C’mon. She’s got her own little hobbies like you, so maybe if you go and try to talk to her, you’ll find something to talk about. All you gotta do is try. You in?”

Chaeyoung considers it. She’s been crushing on Tzuyu since senior year of high school, and this  _ could _ be her one chance to get to know her. But, on the other hand, throughout the years, Chaeyoung has found out that people find her creepy, avoiding her like a diseased rat. And who could blame them? Not Chaeyoung, the loner with dark bags under her eyes, unkempt hair and generally negative attitude. 

No. The last thing she needs is to get to know Tzuyu better, then find out she creeps Tzuyu out too.

She shakes her head. “Jihyo,” Chaeyoung forces herself to say, “I can’t. Maybe some other time, okay? I’m really busy tonight.” The head in her backpack is practically  _ begging _ to be experimented on and Chaeyoung can’t wait another day.

“Aww. Okay, fine. You owe me, though,” Jihyo says as she nears and kisses the top of Chaeyoung’s forehead. She puts her red hair in a ponytail and hides it under a wizard hat. “See you. Take care of yourself tonight. Remember, don’t stay out too late if you leave the dorm. Love you,” she tosses out from behind her back, thoughtlessly leaving out the ‘I’. Chaeyoung doesn’t mind. She, as an aspiring reanimator, understands that the self is a heavy concept.

“Love you too.”

* * *

Chaeyoung spreads the plastic mat on the floor and places the head she stole on top. She writes a few things down on her notebook and adjusts a few measurements. Finally, she fills a syringe nearly all the way with her special reagent, taps it to remove the bubbles, and injects the head. Then, she waits.

One, three, five seconds pass and Chaeyoung feels a sweat droplet travel down her back.

Seven, nine, eleven seconds and Chaeyoung’s heart darkens. 

Fifteen, eighteen, twenty seconds and she feels a burning desire to destroy everything in her path.

She hears the vial in her hand crack from the pressure she’s putting on it and loosens her grip before she causes a mess.

She’s disappointed. She thought that by adjusting the milliliter amount something would change, that the head would at least have a reaction like the bodies at the cemetery. Now she’s facing a dilemma: should she trash the reagent? Have her four years of studying, researching, stealing, desecrating, all been for nothing? Her depression worsens at this thought.

There’s a startling knock on the door, the sound of the knob frantically turning—and Chaeyoung still has the head out. She panics and kicks it under the bed, then runs to the door.

“Hey, forgot my key!” Jihyo rushes into the room and retrieves it. She frowns at the sweat in Chaeyoung’s hairline. “Hey, what’s wrong? You look all shaken up.”

“It’s nothing.”

Jihyo turns to leave, shrugging off Chaeyoung’s odd behavior, because when is she  _ not  _ acting funny, when she pauses and sniffs suddenly. “Gross. What’s that smell?”

Chaeyoung shoves her out. “Go! Have fun! Say hi to Tzuyu for me!” She leans against the door and only backs away once she hears the reluctantly receding footsteps. Slumping down onto the floor, she sinks back into self-pity mode. 

What will she do with her life now? She’s spent so much time working on that stupid reanimation reagent that she has no idea what her life’s purpose is. If not to eliminate the death plague, what was she put on this Earth for..?

“She wasn’t talking about me, was she?”

Chaeyoung pauses.  _ What...was that?  _ she asks herself, feeling the hairs on her arms and neck rise slowly. 

She gets on her hands and knees and peers under her bed. Holding her breath, she pulls the head out, noting that it’s...warm.

Just as she suspected, the head is alive, desperately spitting dust bunnies out of its mouth, and when it’s done, it gasps, as if it just noticed that Chaeyoung is holding it by the hair. It smiles a smile that would be charming on literally anything else except a bodiless head. “Hi! Oh— why are you staring at me like that?”

“I’m sorry,” Chaeyoung says. “I’m just surprised. I didn’t think that… that you’d come back to life.” Her heartbeat is still pumping at an abnormal rate and her hands are sweating. She smacks herself with her free hand once to make sure it’s not one of her delusions again, and when she sees it’s not, she continues. “I’m Son Chaeyoung. I brought you back from death.”

The head makes a grim face. “I noticed. But why? Why didn’t you let me rest peacefully?”

“You’re the most recent of several attempts to see if my reagent could bring corpses back to life. I had assumed that, like the previous tests, you would be unsuccessful.” Chaeyoung refuses to apologize for disturbing the dead and the head senses this. 

“Okay… I won’t fight you on that. My name is Nayeon. Im Nayeon. And sorry for sounding ungrateful. I shouldn’t be. It looks like you’re my second chance.”

Chaeyoung raises an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

The head—Nayeon—purses it’s lips. “Before my death, I was forced to break up with my girlfriend. I got in an accident the next day and never got to explain to her that it was because of her family’s threats that we parted ways. It seems to me like…you’re the only opportunity left for me to make things right.”

Chaeyoung doesn’t know what to say. She’d found Nayeon by accident, almost didn’t pick her head up, and now it turns out that not only is she the first successful attempt at fully reanimating the dead, but she’ll also get to see what a useful tool her research can be. No more dying with regrets when death is completely eradicated, no more sadness, crying, grief. The power of life is in Chaeyoung’s hands, literally. 

She rises up to her new role as life-giver. “I’m not one to believe in fate, Nayeon, but it’s clear  _ something  _ pulled enough strings for us to meet. I’ll honor that and gladly help you.”

“First,” Chaeyoung continues after carefully studying all of Nayeon’s head, “I need to do a few things.”

“What do you need? And why?”

Chaeyoung smiles contentedly as she pulls out a scale she stole from a hospital. Then, shaking her head and correcting her face, she grunts lightly before answering. “I’ll be weighing you and checking your vitals. I want to jot everything down for future use. If I ever want to submit my findings, I’ll need to show people my extensive research.” 

“Wow, haha, good luck when the ethics board gets a hold of your studies,” Nayeon jokes, but when Chaeyoung scowls at her words, Nayeon knows she’s brought up a sensitive topic. “Uhm, so…” She racks her brain for a good topic to switch to. “Where do you do your research? And how?”

Chaeyoung says nothing as she presses a finger to what remains of Nayeon’s neck. Her lips are a thin line and her eyes are hard.

“Chaeyoung?”

The reanimator frowns at her, her tone sharp when she says “Quiet. Let me concentrate.” She goes back to pressing her finger into different areas of Nayeon’s head.

From the corner of her eye, Chaeyoung sees Nayeon try her best to stay quiet. She must’ve understood how important to this is Chaeyoung, but it’s clear from her roaming eyes that she’s curious about her surroundings. As Chaeyoung checks her body temperature, she sees Nayeon stare at the calendar on her wall. She looks stricken for a moment, but hides it when Chaeyoung straightens to write down her findings. Reluctantly, because she’s a little curious, she asks, “What’s wrong?”

Nayeon blinks a few times. “Nothing. It’s just, I’ve been dead for longer than I thought.”

“Oh.” Chaeyoung glances at the calendar. She died around either April or May. “I’m sorry.”

“August would have been our one-year anniversary,” Nayeon says, and drops the conversation. 

After Chaeyoung collects a sample of Nayeon’s hair, the latter speaks up, testing the waters. 

“Chaeyoung?” 

Chaeyoung sighs. But she answers. “Yeah?”

Nayeon chews her lip. It breaks open, but since her blood coagulated in death, nothing comes out. “I’m sorry. For bringing that up. I didn’t mean to offend you. I guess I should be more careful with my words.”

Chaeyoung stiffens at the genuine apology. She’s not used to this.

“I’ll watch what kind of things I ask,” Nayeon continues, her expression relaxing, looking less sad with each word. “I guess I’m just impressed by what you’ve managed to do? It’s super cool.”

Chaeyoung, with nearly an entire lifetime of biological studies under her belt, cannot fathom why Nayeon’s words make her cheeks feel warm, or why her heart feels like it’s being squeezed. “You think...it’s cool?” She doesn’t mean to sound so surprised about it

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Nayeon’s eyes gesture towards her entire head, a big smile taking over her features. ”I’m the result of your hard work and dedication. I’ve never seen someone reach your level of success, ever. That’s cool as hell.”

Chaeyoung turns away and fiddles with the watch on her wrist, hands shaking from the rush she’s gotten from the sincere compliment. When she thinks she’s composed herself, minutes later, she turns back around and continues to work on Nayeon, but her hands are still wobbly. 

“I, uhm, I set up a lab in this room.” It’s curt and quick, said almost in a rush.

Nayeon had her eyes closed, but she slowly opens them now, confusion evident in them. “Huh?”

Chaeyoung’s eye twitches as she scrubs a cotton swab against the inside of Nayeon’s mouth. “You asked me where I do my research. I answered. Here, in the room. I steal lab equipment from hospitals and my class. I take a few classes that give me access to them and I steal them when no one is looking.”

“Oh.”

“This university is rich anyway. Who cares. It’s necessary for humanity.”

“I didn’t say anything. It’s fine, I’m not accusing.” Nayeon thinks for a moment. “Doesn’t your roommate find it weird? 

Chaeyoung puts the swab in a tube and shuts it closed. “No. Jihyo—my roommate, she’s kinda popular. She parties a lot and comes to the dorm late. I have plenty of time to do all I want. Sometimes even entire afternoons.”

“I see.” Nayeon, seeing that Chaeyoung is talkative and in a better mood, pushes a little. “Bet if you didn’t have to hide, like if you got work on your stuff openly, you could get things done quicker.”

Chaeyoung grips the tube in her hand with so much force the lid pops off and flies over their heads across the room. “Yeah. They’re cowards. They don’t see how important this work is. All I am is a criminal to them, but I’m the only one working towards fixing a huge problem humanity has. I hope they see how this could benefit us all before condemning me.”

“Whoa! You’re really excited, huh? And you really know what you’re doing.”

The fire in Chaeyoung’s eyes dims down enough to seem less sinister and she smiles down at Nayeon; the look is foreign on her face, but it’s sincere nonetheless. “I’ve dedicated my whole life to this. You see, you’re like my greatest achievement, you’re a miracle, Nayeon—you don’t have any blood flowing through you, you’re not even breathing, yet you’re alive, talking and looking perfect.” 

Nayeon’s expression softens. “I’m glad to help with that. I really, really am.” Chaeyoung doesn’t reply, just wears that goofy smile until she realizes it and goes back to the neutral mask she’s so used to wearing. She can’t trick Nayeon, though. When she thinks Nayeon isn’t looking, the corner of her lips curl upwards.

When she’s satisfied that she’s written down everything that needs to be, Chaeyoung picks up her backpack.

Nayeon eyes it. “And what is  _ that _ for..?”

“This? It’s where I’ll put you.”

“Oh, absolutely not. Not on Halloween, where I can just rest in your arms and you can call me a prop or whatever without raising suspicion.”

“Oh,  _ absolutely not,”  _ Chaeyoung mimics darkly. “You’re a  _ real _ decapitated head. I’m not risking arrest for this.” She shoves a protesting Nayeon into the backpack, gives herself one last once-over in the mirror, and leaves the dorm after locking her door.

* * *

“Favorite color?” Nayeon’s voice is muffled, but Chaeyoung’s ears are carefully trained after risky nights in better guarded cemeteries. She wishes they  _ weren’t _ , because Nayeon won’t shut up. They’ve only been out for a few minutes, still not even out of campus grounds, and she’s already sort of getting on Chaeyoung’s nerves. “Mine is pink.”

“Where did you say your girlfriend lives?” Chaeyoung ignores Nayeon’s question for the third time in a row. 

“Mina lives at the edge of town near Ttukseom Road. It would be easier to tell you where to go if you, you know,  _ let me out!”  _

“No,” Chaeyoung deadpans. Then she breaks into a smile, because Nayeon whimpers pathetically and it’s just the tiniest bit cute. 

“Hmph! Fine. Answer my question, then. Favorite color?”

Chaeyoung pulls her lab coat up past her ears. It’s a particularly cold Halloween night this year, made worse by the small rain shower from this morning. Normally she loves this weather, but she is severely underprepared for it, not to mention that Nayeon’s incessant talking is bringing down her mood significantly. “Can you please sh—“ Chaeyoung stops herself from saying it so rudely. Why does she care so much about Nayeon’s feelings all of a sudden? “Could you please be quiet? I fear someone will hear,” she mutters from the corner of her lips.

“Haha, no. Anyway. Who’s Tzuyu? I heard you talking to your roommate about her.” 

Chaeyoung gives up on being nice and smacks her backpack lightly, hoping to get Nayeon to be quiet. There are tons of trick-or-treaters and Chaeyoung has enough people at her university thinking she’s crazy already.

“Ouch! Listen, I’m just making small talk. It’s boring in here, and I’m getting sleepy. Put yourself in my shoes.”

“You don’t  _ have  _ shoes.”

“Wow. I never would have noticed. It’s an  _ expression,  _ ma’am.”

Chaeyoung decides to not respond to that, instead asking, “Are you really sleepy? That’s…probably not good.”

“It’s fine,” Nayeon quickly defends. “It’s no biggie. Don’t you worry your little scientist head about it. Not everything has a deep meaning.”

Chaeyoung nervously pulls on the straps of the backpack. Maybe so, but her gut starts developing a bad feeling that she fears won’t go away soon.

“Just answer my questions as quietly as possible. I wanna get to know you! We’re friends now, aren’t we?”

Chaeyoung rubs her hands together to warm up. “Are we?” she asks, elongating the question. She cracks a smile.

“Ow. That hurt more than the smacking. Really.”

Eventually they’re off campus grounds and in town proper, and after another few minutes of walking, a car drives past them, screeches to a stop, and reverses right into the sidewalk Chaeyoung happens to be walking on.

She tries not to look too surprised, just nonchalantly reaches into her white coat pocket and grabs the switchblade she has there, just in case. 

One of the back windows smoothly rolls down and a head sticks out. Chaeyoung scrutinizes the person. It’s possibly a girl, but she doesn’t recognize them at all due to the heavy bright blue paint on their face, so she could be wrong. Her grip tightens on the weapon.

“Hi, Chaeyoung.”

A cold breeze blows past Chaeyoung, pulling a gasp from her lips, but to be honest, she would have gasped anyway because she recognizes that voice. It’s a voice that softly haunts her dreams and sweetens her thoughts. 

“Hi, Tzuyu,” she breathes out. “I didn’t recognize you in the blue makeup and the wig.” She lets go of the knife, relaxes. She feels the backpack rumble behind her.

“Tzuyu? THE Tzuyu?” 

Chaeyoung slaps the bag as inconspicuously as possible. 

“Ow,” it hisses.

Tzuyu doesn’t notice the interaction. “Sorry for probably creeping you out. I just saw you walking and told my friends to stop. Are you coming to Jackson’s party too? We’re all going.” She gestures to the people inside. Chaeyoung peeks and recognizes a few people. “Jihyo said she’d, uh, talk to you and invite you. We can give you a ride.”

Chaeyoung feels her stomach turn. Jihyo never mentioned talking to Tzuyu about her, or that Tzuyu cared to see her at the party. It wouldn’t have changed things, she still would have declined the invitation, but she would have liked to  _ know.  _ “Umm. No, that’s okay. I’m not one for parties. I have other plans today, anyway.” She’s not about to tell Tzuyu she’s got an undead head and that they’re on a mission to talk to said head’s ex-girlfriend. 

Tzuyu bites her lip and accidentally chips off a bit of her caked lipstick. “Oh. That sucks. You need someone to walk with? I heard that there are some creeps around and—you know, you’re alone.”

If Chaeyoung was a little more delusional, a little more hopeful, she’d think that Tzuyu is looking for excuses to be with her. Unfortunately, she’s sound of mind and knows she’s just being nice.

“No, Tzuyu, it’s fine. I’ve actually got a switchblade in my pocket and, like, no morals against stabbing people, so…”

Nayeon makes a ruckus behind her and Chaeyoung gives the backpack a swift smack, to no avail, as it makes Nayeon start muttering things in a clearer voice. Chaeyoung finds she has no choice but to accept Tzuyu’s proposal; she’s sure this is why Nayeon is being a nuisance.

“A-actually, if you really don’t mind, it would be cool if you joined me.” As she expected, Nayeon quiets down. Tzuyu, with no hesitation, ducks back into her car, rolls the window back up and steps out, waving the car away. As it drives away, Chaeyoung gets a good look at her crush’s dress: it’s something like a wedding dress with specks of fake blood splattered here and there, evoking images of old-timey corpse brides.

“Sorry for imposing, by the way. I just—I don’t want a friend of Jihyo’s to be alone on a Halloween night. You seem really nice.”

“Oh…” What does Chaeyoung say to that? She’s unsure of how to continue the conversation but finds that she doesn’t have to. Nayeon starts wobbling inside the backpack, making noises to get Chaeyoung’s attention. Tzuyu eyes it curiously, which is less of a reaction than what Chaeyoung expects. Is she not creeped out? Clearly not, as Tzuyu points and asks “What’s in there?” in a cool tone.

Well, now there’s no choice except to show her, so she unzips the backpack and, holding her breath, she prays to a god she doesn’t believe in that Nayeon is on her best behavior once out.

“Um,” Tzuyu stutters, the cool tone melting away to turn into something else that the young reanimator can’t put her finger on.

Chaeyoung panics. She knows she’s regarded as a freak by her peers, but she hates to think that the good impression Tzuyu once had about her might cease to exist. 

Tzuyu reaches out and pokes Nayeon’s cheek, much to Chaeyoung’s surprise. “Plastic, right?” 

Chaeyoung blinks. Tzuyu’s voice isn’t faltering anymore, it sounds normal again. 

“Hey, hey, I only got my chin done, I swear!” Nayeon jokes, her round cheeks rising as she smiles.

Tzuyu’s eyes snap toward Chaeyoung, full of surprise and perhaps wonder, and an idea pops into her head. She hates lying to Tzuyu of all people, especially when she’s trying to make a good impression but…

“V-voice activated toy head,” Chaeyoung fibs almost naturally, years of practice finally paying off. “For my Halloween costume.” She shows Tzuyu her lab coat to make the lie more convincing. 

“Voice activated?” Tzuyu hesitates.

“Yeah. Ask it any question.” She begs that Nayeon catches on.

“Okay. What’s your name?” Tzuyu tests, and in a heartbeat, Nayeon beams and answers with her name. Chaeyoung blushes when Tzuyu’s eyes snap to her, amazement flooding them.

“Chaeyoung… this is so cool,” Tzuyu says, studying Nayeon a little closer now.

Chaeyoung holds back her excitement. “Pull on her nose. I programmed her to tell a joke.” Chaeyoung doesn’t miss the malice in Nayeon’s eyes as Tzuyu does as asked, but hey, small victories. 

“Ow,” Nayeon honks. “I mean— H-how does a penguin...build its house?”

Tzuyu’s grin grows. “How?”

Nayeon bites back a smile. “Umm, igloos it together!” She laughs at her own joke more than Tzuyu, who hides her chuckle behind a blue hand. 

“Sorry. I’ll make sure to add jokes that are  _ actually  _ funny,” Chaeyoung says pointedly. Nayeon scowls at that but is ultimately ignored. They continue walking to their destination as Tzuyu shakes her head.

“It’s fine. I’m honestly impressed by the sole fact that you created that. Jihyo told me you’re some kind of genius and you sure don’t disappoint.”

Chaeyoung uses her free hand to scratch her face, self-conscious suddenly. “Oh, it’s no big deal,” she counters.  _ But it is _ . Nayeon assured her of it back at the dorm. It’s just, it’s not every day she gets praised. And by her  _ crush _ . This day is shaping to be the best in her life.

Even if the praise is misguided, as she sure didn’t  _ invent  _ Nayeon, she made this happen by creating her reagent and constantly testing it until getting to this point. She  _ deserves  _ this praise.

Chaeyoung’s chest puffs up proudly and she shares a discreet look with Nayeon, who winks at her, and it makes her feel better than she’s ever felt.

“Don’t downplay it—it’s genius, what you did.”

Chaeyoung swallows, abashed, and plays with a strand of Nayeon’s black hair. “Thank you.” She tries not to show that the praise is making her weak in the knees. “Really. Thank you. It means a lot that you think so.”

“No problem,” Tzuyu says with a fresh new pep in her step. “The way you made Nayeon, like, she’s so fleshed out” —Nayeon stifles a snort—“and almost feels like a real person. She’s got personality. Is she based on anyone?”

Chaeyoung thinks for a moment. She almost says no, but she looks down at the head in her arms, how she’s the ultimate proof Chaeyoung hasn’t been wasting her time. But, most importantly, how she’s been nothing but nice ever since she was reanimated. 

“Admittedly, a little. Someone I met once, and would have liked to know better. She seemed a little annoying at first, getting on my nerves more often than not. I was mean to her because of that, but she didn’t let that scare her away. She tried hard to get to know me. I felt close to her in a very, very short amount of time.” Chaeyoung taps Nayeon’s forehead, just in case she hasn’t caught on that she’s talking about her.

Tzuyu hums. ”She seems like a good person. That’s so sweet. I’ve felt like that before, too, y’know. Feeling close to someone in a short time.”

“Oh yeah? Tell me about it.” 

Tzuyu lifts her chin and looks at Chaeyoung from the corner of her eye, a smile growing on her face. “Right now, with you, for example. Jihyo speaks of you very often and it’s clear she adores you the way an older sister would. It made me curious about you, and in the short time we’ve spent walking today, I see you’re just as charming as your roommate paints you to be.”

Chaeyoung’s stomach flutters. Tzuyu’s words are so kind but make her so embarrassed that she feels like twisting her body around. Her hands even start to sweat—wait, no. Those aren’t her hands...

Tzuyu notes something is wrong at the same time as Chaeyoung because she asks if Nayeon is okay. A quick peek tells Chaeyoung that Nayeon is  _ not. _

“Hold on. Wait here,” Chaeyoung says, holding up a finger to ask for Tzuyu to be patient as she walks a few paces away. 

Chaeyoung raises Nayeon up to the street light’s beam and sees that yeah, she looks sick. Besides the obvious signs of decay from having been dead for a while, Nayeon looks wrong. At the dorm her hair had a bit of volume and her cheeks had a relatively healthy glow to them. Now, her hair is matted and lifeless, and her cheeks look sunken. “Nayeon… how are you feeling?”

Nayeon’s eyes seem to be tied to boulders, the way they slowly move to look at Chaeyoung. “I’m fine,” she says, but her jaw moves funny, showing she’s everything but. Chaeyoung knows that she’ll raise Tzuyu’s suspicions if she keeps talking to what’s supposed to be a toy, but she’s got a growing feeling that tragedy is about to strike soon and she’s worried about Nayeon.

“Please, if you’re not feeling good—“

“I said I’m fine, Chaeyoung.” Nayeon probably meant to snap at her, but with the low energy she has, she just sounds miserable. Chaeyoung decides to leave her alone for the time being.

“Okay,” Chaeyoung says quietly because of Nayeon’s suddenly crabby attitude. “But if you start feeling sick, please tell me.”

“Will do,” responds Nayeon with her eyes closed. “Sorry. Just—keep talking to Tzuyu. Don’t miss your chance.”

Cautiously, Chaeyoung heeds Nayeon’s advice and walks back to Tzuyu, who narrows her eyes.

“Sorry. She seemed to be malfunctioning a bit. I gave her a few commands and she should be all better now.”

Tzuyu gives her a doubtful look. She leans forward and says to Nayeon, “Nayeon? Is everything okay?”

Nayeon blinks a few times and forces a smile. “Sure is. Wanna hear a joke? No need to pull my nose this time. Why do ghosts...ride elevators?”

Tzuyu smiles. It seems she knows that one, but tells Nayeon to go ahead.

“To lift their spirits.” 

Tzuyu seems satisfied with the terrible joke and continues walking, her shoulders relaxed and her eyes less suspicious. Chaeyoung decides to continue their previous conversation in order to make things feel less chilly between them. Still, it feels forced, she finds, as Nayeon is still on her mind.

“So, Tzuyu? I want you to know, I totally feel the same way. Jihyo tells me you’re really nice too and that we share a few interests. Problem is, I don’t know when we could hang out, get to know each other. You like parties, I’m assuming, since that’s where Jihyo says she sees you often, but I don’t.”

“You don’t?”

“No. Too loud. I can’t hear myself think.”

Tzuyu kicks the curb a little bit as she takes in the information. “Well, maybe we can meet up at other places. We can be study buddies. Visit each other, study a bit, talk when we take breaks?”

Chaeyoung likes that idea. She hates studying, as she’d rather be tweaking her reagent and digging up dead bodies, but if it means spending time with Tzuyu, she could learn to love it, Pavlovian style. “I’d really like that, Tzuyu.”

* * *

The walk to Mina’s house nears its end when they reach Ttukseom Road. 

“It’s on a dead end,” Tzuyu points out innocently. Chaeyoung cringes inwardly.

She taps Nayeon’s head but worries when she gives nearly no reaction. “Nayeon?” In the dim moonlight, Chaeyoung sees the head’s tired eyes. They’re unfocused, glossy even, and too empty for Chaeyoung’s liking.

“Is she not working again?” Tzuyu asks, eyeing the two with an unreadable expression. 

“Guess so.” Her hands shake as she turns the head over. Her mind wanders, and she asks herself a very important question: is the reagent faulty? It did half of its job, which is to reanimate dead corpses, but what if it fails to do the rest, which is to  _ keep them alive?  _ If this is true and the reagent is incomplete, that means only one thing. Nayeon is dying again. 

Chaeyoung shakes her head.

She won’t accept this. This isn’t happening. 

“Chaeyoung… You lied to me, didn’t you? Tell me what’s happening. I’m not going to judge.” Tzuyu is doing a fairly good job at hiding how scared she is right now. If Chaeyoung didn’t have a good view of her balled up fists, blue paint cracking at the knuckles, exposing pale white skin, she would have been convinced.

Chaeyoung glances at Nayeon, and how she looks worse by the second, and grits her teeth. After a brief pause to beg the cosmic forces to be on her side, she pleads, “Tzuyu. I need your help. Nayeon, she’s—“

“I’m alive,” gasps Nayeon, admitting the truth suddenly. Like she doesn’t want to die with regrets. “I’m real. We’re sorry.”

Tzuyu inhales sharply and she takes a step back in fear. It’s clear from everything that’s happened so far that she suspected this, but it doesn’t mean it’s not still shocking.

“Tzuyu, wait.” Chaeyoung extends her fingers out, desperate. They’re shaking. “She’s dying. Please don’t leave. We need to run back to my dorm and get—get this vial I have, of a mixture that can give life. I need to inject it—“

“No, Chaeyoung!” Nayeon’s voice sounds oddly strong. However, her next words are just as weak as she looks. “Chaeyoung, don’t. Don’t bother. You’ll just be wasting...your remaining sample.”

“Shut up, I’ll do what I want.” Her head snaps back to Tzuyu. “I’m sorry we lied to you, but I didn’t want to freak you out. We’re not visiting a friend. We just want to talk to her ex-girlfriend. Nayeon didn’t get to say what she wanted to before dying and regretted it. I’m helping her. Can you call someone to pick us up before Nayeon—“ Chaeyoung can’t bring herself to say it out loud again. 

_ Before Nayeon dies. _

They can make it. They have to.

“Chaeyoung, stop…” Nayeon’s breathing is labored. This sets Chaeyoung even more on edge. “You can inject me all you want, but it’ll...stop working again and again. You can’t keep poking me...forever. I don’t...want to be Swiss...cheese.” Her joke falls flat and she sighs. “Improve the reagent, Chaeng.”

Chaeyoung shakes her head  _ no,  _ because she sees Nayeon’s life fading away. 

“When...it’s better and gives real, long lasting life...we’ll meet again.”

“No, you cheesy motherfucker,” Chaeyoung says harshly. “Do not make this grand speech. You’re— you said it yourself. You’re my friend now, and I’m yours. I’m going to inject you, I’m gonna save you. You can’t leave me!”

Tzuyu watches as Chaeyoung falls to her knees, though she keeps Nayeon in a tight grip, caring for her like a precious, fragile item. 

Tzuyu comes to her senses and steps close, moved by what’s happening before her, and kneels at Chaeyoung’s side. “We’re close to—to your ex’s house, Nayeon. You don’t think you can make it until at least then?”

Nayeon’s left eye begins to sag deep into her skull. “No, Tzuyu. I would...have freaked her out anyway. Look at you. You’re scared...and you know what’s going on… Maybe this was a terrible idea...” Her words are mere gasps now. Chaeyoung is shaking hard.

“Nayeon, stop talking, please. You’re wearing yourself out. Your idea wasn’t terrible.  _ Isn’t  _ terrible. Let’s go.” 

“Chaeng? Hey, please...work hard. You’re really smart… I know we’ll see each other again. Right? You’ll bring...me back when the reagent is stronger?”

Chaeyoung’s tears are flowing freely now, a sign that she’s given in. “Are you kidding me? That’s a no-brainer.” The words bubble out like sobs and Tzuyu holds her close. Together they watch as Nayeon’s strained smile drops and her cheeks sag.

Tzuyu sees a group of teenagers walk around, still trick or treating, and she nudges Chaeyoung. “We have to go. Let’s get you home. C’mon.”

Chaeyoung is still on her knees, postured like a fervent follower before Nayeon’s head, and she’s trembling. Tzuyu rubs the small of her back as she coaxes out the last of Chaeyoung’s tears. “I know. She was your friend. Get it all out. But we have to go soon,” she whispers.

Finally, after a few minutes, Chaeyoung composes herself enough to let herself get dragged by Tzuyu. They walk in silence, Chaeyoung holding the head close like a child would a toy, and get back to the dorm. 

* * *

Tzuyu knocks on the door three times, then uses the key they gave her to open it slowly when no one answers.

“Oops! Sorry, Tzu!” Jihyo says from her bed, homework haphazardly strewn around her. “I didn’t hear you!”

“It’s fine. That’s what the key is for,” she says with a dimpled smile, holding up the mess of keys on her chain. She turns to Chaeyoung’s side of the room, where the short girl is sitting on her unmade bed and typing furiously on her black laptop. “Ready?”

Chaeyoung doesn’t respond as she adds a few more words to her document; Tzuyu waits patiently, knowing the importance. When Chaeyoung taps the touchpad with finality and closes the laptop, she finally acknowledges Tzuyu with a tired glance. “Hmm?” 

“Are you ready?” she repeats with a hint of a smile.

Chaeyoung avoids her eyes, but slithers off her bed and reaches under it to grab her dusty backpack. She shoulders it, her movements slow and deliberate, as if she’s afraid of what will be happening next. She’s stalling for time. Tzuyu catches on and slips her hand into her girlfriend’s.

“It’s time, Chaeyoung.”

Jihyo looks up from her homework. “What are you two doing again?” She frowns, not liking how she’s always left out of fun things. “You’ve been saying cryptic shit to each other lately.”

Tzuyu places a warm hat on Chaeyoung’s head and lovingly pats it. “It’s Halloween. Cryptic is the ideal mood, right?”

Jihyo narrows her eyes. “You’ve been together for almost a year now and you’re  _ always _ together, whispering to each other. Tzuyu doesn’t even party anymore. What are you up to? You guys better not be doing illegal stuff.”

Chaeyoung checks her backpack for the fifth time in a minute and chuckles nervously. She pulls an object out of a pocket, studies it for a few seconds, then stuffs it inside again. Jihyo swears it looks something like a glow stick.

“Nah, don’t worry,” Chaeyoung offers. Her voice is soft, wistful. She looks at Tzuyu, and maybe for the first time in a while, life returns to her eyes. “We’re just meeting up with an old friend at the park. She’s been waiting for us for a while now and… and we promised we’d see each other again soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [twt](https://twitter.com/ANTAGONlSTlC) and consider reading my other stories <33333


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